Upper treating device



Feb. 20, 1940. Y v c I 2,191,416

UPPER TREATING DEVICE Filed July 6, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 wan 5/ W W Feb.20, 1940. NACHON 2,191,416,

UPPER TREATING DEVICE Filed July 6, 19:58 a Sheets-Shet 2 Feb. 20; 1940. QACHON 2,191,416

UPPER TREATING DEVICE Filed July 6, 1938 SSheets-Sheet 3 lllllllH HHHWHW Patented Feb. 2( .1940

"UNITED: STATES,

PATENT "OFFICE w w r 2,191,416 ,UPPER. TREATING DEVICE Joseph J. Vachon,

South Portland, Maine, as-

vsigner of three-eighths to Harry I. Lyons, Boston, Mass,- and'three-eighths to Joseph A.

I Ccrdeau, Saco, Maine 'A ucamn July 6, 1938, Serial No. 217,669

8 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for treating the uppers of shoes during manufacture thereof in order to render the upper material soft and easily worked preparatory to the pulling-over and lasting operations. More specifically, the invention relatesto the class of devices known as v toe steamers? and comprises a compact, self-v contained unit capable of softening any of the materials commonly used for uppers without adversely affecting them. 1 I

The toe portion of a shoe manufacturedav cording to the best principles should be relatively stiff, and a thermal setting material, or toe box, is generally inserted between the upper and the lining at the toe portion to provide added stiffening. This, added to the fact that the curve of a last at the toe is acute, makes smooth toe lasting difficult unless the upper material is properly softened priorto lasting.

The various devices which have been used for softening uppers-have been open tothe objection that they are not sufficiently flexible in their operation efficiently to treat the divers kinds of material commonly employed for shoe uppers.

2:; The most important object of my invention is I to provide a toe softening device which is compact in structure and yet has the capacity of softening all types of leather without straining,

burning or otherwise harming them.

Another object of my invention is to "provide a toe softening device which can effectively be regulated to supply a greater or lesser amount of steam to the shoe'upper under treatment and in which the steam is forced to yield part of its heat to a water reservoir used to supply the steam chamber of the device, thus economizing theenergy consumed. in maintaining the device in operation for long periods of time.

One important feature of my invention resides in self-contained automatic feeding system effective to deliver warm water to the steam chamber of the device. Other features include a novel arrangement of dampers for controlling the amount and direction of the steam delivered to the upper being treated and the provision of interchangeable rests for the reception of different kinds of upper material.

These and therob'ects and features of my invention will be more readily understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof-selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a toe steamer constructed according to my invention.

v Fig. 2 is afragmentary view in perspective of the upper wall of the heating chamber. I Fig.3. is a view of the device in cross section.

Fig. 4 is, a View in cross section of a portion.

of the toe steamer showing the arrangement of one of the dampers. f I

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view illustrating the ow of steam or vapor when the lower damper open and the top damper closed,

Fig. 6 is a similar view and ' Fig. 7 is a similar view indicating conditions in the treating chamber when the lower damper is. closed'and the upper damper is open. I 1 v In the embodiment shown in thedrawings most of the structure is disposed within a rectangular casing Ill having an open top and aforwardly and upwardly inclined bottom wall Ii closing the bottom of the casing iii and forming a steam chamber 12 which extends the full length of the casing I and is deep at the back and shallow in front. Spaced inwardly from the front of the casing in is the forward wall l3 of the steam chamber 12. Disposed lengthwise in the deeper portion of the chamber 13 is an electric heating unit M which extends through one wall of the'chamber l3 and terminates in a fitting containing a rheostatl controlled by a switch IS on the top thereof. The switch l6 may be set for three or more stages of intensity in accordance with the amount of heat desiredl Running across the top of the casing W is a long bar ll set on edge and forming a support suggesting't'he path of steam or vapor when both dampers are closed,

of the flange 2| rests against the upper edge of the rear wall of the casing ,Nl. Thereservoir is rectangular in shape and is provided with an air-tight filling cover 23 and a removable outlet pipe 24 projecting horizontally from its rear wall. The outlet pipe 24 leads toan angle valve 25 which in turn discharges downwardly into a barometric feed cup 28 through a vertical adjustable feed pipe 26 provided with a check nutZl. The'cup 28 is provided with a drain plug 30, aperforated cover 3|, and a horizontal outlet pipe 29 which discharges into the steam chamber 12.

It will be seen that the position of the lower end of the feedpipe 26 determines the level of the water in the cup 28 and in the steam chamber l2. A. water gauge 32 is set into one end of the reservoir 20 so that the operator of the device will be able to tell when it should be refilled. The

reservoir intermittently feeds small charges of warm water to the steam chamber l2 by the well known barometric method.

The front wall of the casing I0 is provided with an opening through which the toe portions of a pair of shoes may be inserted into a treating chamber provided within the casing by the extension of its walls beyond the front of the reservoir 20. The rear wall of the treating chamber is formed by the reservoir 28 which has a forwardly and upwardly inclined wall 22 arranged to overlie the shoes and direct heat and moisture thereto.

Flush with the upper edge of the wall I3 is a cover member for the steam chamber l2, which has a downturned flange resting on a horizontal rib 34 extending about the inner wall of the chamber l2. The cover 33 is provided with a pair of segmental openings 35 conforming to the configuration ofthe toe portion of a shoe. Inserted between the wall [3 and the front wall of the casing I0 is an elongated hollow bar 46, the front wall of which is formed by a partition 4| spaced fromthe body of the bar to receive therebetween a pair of rubber plates 42 with concave curves in their upper edges to receive foreparts of shoes. The plates 42 are easily removable and I contemplate .theprovision of several interchangeable plates for the different colors of upper stock being used, so that stains from dark materials will not be transferred to light materials and vice versa.

Extending rearwardly from the shoe supporting plates 42 and over the cover 33 is a perforated guard plate 43 provided with concave depressions which register with those formed in the plates 42. A perforated damper plate 44 fits beneath the guard plate 43 and over the openings 35 in the cover 33. The damper 44 is provided with a threaded stud 45 by which it may be adjusted horizontally to close or partially close the perforations in the guard plate 43. Mounted lengthwise in the top of the casing Ill over the guard plate 43 is a long damper 46 controlled by a handle 41. A flat plate 50 is bolted to the forward wall of the casing Ill and serves adjustably to maintain wire shoe rests 5| in position to receive lasts with the uppers assembled thereon.

In operating the toe steamer above described, the reservoir 2b is filled, while the valve 25 is closed, and then the cover 23 tightly screwed in place. The valve 25 is then opened, the cup 28 and chamber l2 are filled to a desired depth according to the adjustment of the pipe 26, and the electric heating unit I4 is energized. Steam is given off and rises through the openings 35 in the cover 33, the damper 44, and the guard plate 43, provided the perforations in the latter two members are in register. A last with its upper is then inverted and placed on the one of the rests 5| with the toe portion supported on the plate 42 just above the guard plate 43 and projecting into the treating chamber of the device. If the direct application of steam would injure the upper, the damper 44 is adjusted so that the perforations in it and in the guard plate 43 are out of register and thus closed. The steam is then conducted rearwardly and emerges from beneath the damper 44 and the guard plate 43 from which point it impinges against the inclined wall 22 of the reservoir 20 and finally escapes either through the top of the casing ID (if the damper 46 is open) and through the front of the casing above the shoe. Under these conditions the metal surfaces surrounding the upper material are substantially heated by steam and the upper is subjected to dry heat. In any event some of the steam yields heat to the water in the reservoir 20, thus cutting down the wattage necessary to operate the heater l4. The rate of steam generation may be controlled by regulating the rheostat in the fitting 5. The humidity of. the atmosphere surrounding the shoe can be controlled by adjusting the dampers 44 and 46. The latter damper in open position creates an upward draft which swiftly removes the steam, thus keeping the humidity relatively low. Closingthe damper 46 serves to confine steam in the space around the toe portion of the shoe as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. Of course, a

v steam heating unit may be substituted for the electric heating unit shown in the drawings.

.When the damper plate is moved to open the perforations of the guard plate 43 steam passes directly up from the steam chamber to the toe portion of the shoe supported above it as indicated in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing description of a selected embodiment of my invention it will be evident that I have invented a toe steamer which is compact, self-contained, and capable of treating any of the upper materials commonly employed. The insole is protected against a direct blast of steam, thus-avoiding an objection to which many prior devices have been open, an important feature inasmuch as a direct blast of steam is likely to cause discoloration or burning of an insole or cause the insole to crawl. The moisture content of the atmosphere surrounding the toe portion of a shoe is sufficient to soften a toe box but not sufficient to damage other elements of the assembled shoe. A fairly dry softening is essential where the leather of the upper is Scotch grain or has been treated with a pigment bath which is soluble in hot water. invention is self-contained and does not require auxiliary water vessels or other equipment commonly employed in connection with too softening devices.

The embodiment described is the preferred form of my invention, but admits of great variation without a departure from the spirit and scope of my invention, and'what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An upper treating device comprising 9. casing having a steam chamber provided with an outlet and a shoe treating chamber, a reservoir disposed in said casing and arranged to feed water to said steam chamber, and deflecting means located above the outlet from said steam chamher, the reservoir having an inclined wall forming a part of the shoe treating chamber and located in the path of steam leaving said deflecting means whereby said wall directs the steam toward the shoe and is at the same time heated by the steam.

2. An upper treating device comprising a steam chamber having an outlet opening in its upper wall, means disposed over said outlet for The device of my deflecting steam, a reservoir connected to said chamber to supply the same and being provided with an inclined wall disposed in the path of the deflected steam, and means for presenting the forepart of a shoe to receive steamv deflected by said inclined wall while the steam heats the contents of the reservoir.

3. An upper treating device comprising a cas ing having a steam chamber therein, a damper controlled outlet fromsaid chamber, a reservoir disposed above said chamber and having an inclined bottom wall, barometric feeding means connecting said reservoir and said chamber, a concaved perforated guard plate disposed above said outlet, and a damper disposed adjacent said reservoir above said guard plate, the steam from said chamber serving to heat water in said reservoir.

4. An upper treating device comprising a cas ing having a steam chamber therein, a reservoir in said casing arranged to feed water to said chamber, an outlet from said chamber, a periorated damper disposed above said outlet, a concaved perforated guard plate disposed above said damper, a removable concaved rubber plate set edgewise before said damper and guard plate,

and a second damper mounted in the top of the casing above said guard plate. I

5.An upper treating device comprising a rectangular casing having a steam chamber in its lower part and a reservoir suspended in its upper part, the walls of the casing extending beyond the reservoir to provide an enclosure for an upper-carrying last, the reservoir having a forwardly inclined wall forming a part oi said enclosure, and a damper adjacent to said inclined wall.

6. An upper treating device comprising a casing having a steam chamber in its lower part and a reservoir suspended in its upper part and having an inclined bottom wall forming a part of a treating chamber within the casing, a damper disposed in the upper part of said treating chamber, a shoe support beneath said damper and inclined wall, and an adjustable damper located said shoe support, whereby said dampers may be regulated to supply either dry or moist heat or a combination thereofto said shoe support.

7. An upper treating device comprising a 'casdeflected forwardly in the treating chamber *by said inclined wall,

8. An upper treating device comprising a casing, a steam chamber disposed at the bottom of said casing, a reservoir disposed in the upper portion 01'' said casing, automatic water feeding means connecting said reservoir and said steam chamber, a perforated guard plate locatedat a above said steam chamber and belowthe level of chamber against said inclined Wall" whereby steam impinges against the bottom of the reservoir to heat the reservoir and is'then lower level than said reservoir, means for 'sup- I porting a shoe above said guard plate, said reservoir having an inclined steam deflecting bottom wall, a first damper located adjacent said reservoir above a shoe on said supporting means, a

second damper located beneath said guard platev and beneath the shoe, and heating means for saidsteam chamber, whereby regulation of said damperspermits selective heating of a shoe on said support either by steam from said steam chamber or byradiation from said guard plate, when said seconddamper is closed.

. JOSEPH J. VACHON. 

